Committed to observing the ordinary and converting her findings into art, illustrator Nykie Ngan takes inspiration from her everyday surroundings. Amid a graceful, charming and gaudy outcome, Nykie’s fresh perspective continues to explore familiar themes twisted with new eccentricities.

“My main inspiration comes from daily life; this can be from a conversation I heard on train, a weird-shaped fruit I bought from the supermarket, an emotion which is uneasy to describe or an environmental issue,” Nykie tells It’s Nice That. “With all these elements collected, we can explore the diversity and celebrate the unseen of the everyday.”

Hailed from a recent exhibition, Let’s Play Ping Pong, that took place at Museum für Kommunikation in Berlin, Nykie’s latest project draws from this distinctive observational mindset. By adding a hint of romance to the theme of ‘lunch’, Have Lunch With Me: Goodbye to the Same Old Sandwich illustrates a colourful depiction of the small matters that usually go unnoticed. This “in-between” or “rushed lunch” is an all too recognisable scenario, which is why Nykie’s attitude towards meal time strikes as a fundamental reminder to enjoy this time out from your day-to-day. “The origin of the word lunch relates to the small snacks between two main meals that tends to get overlooked pretty often,” she says. “The artworks are not about the food we eat, but the quality time we spend together."

When asked about her thought process and ways in which she transcends ideas onto paper, Nykie explains how she aims to “purely transcend” concepts into “abstract shapes, colours and characters” — creating bold settings filled with hand drawn illustrations. At first the images may seem garish, but that’s all part of her practice: “I’m into exploring how signs and symbols linguistically connect with the audience."

“My artwork consists of a series of risoprints and screenprints…Before I start new works I will push myself to try something different, like drawing digitally or even a colour that I have been avoiding,” she says. “In this age of information, the imperfectness and roughness of risograph suggests a free-will spirit and purity. It’s also an environmentally friendly way to print, as it uses soy-based inks to produce unique outcomes. The beauty of this printing method is in its warmth and vivid colour range.”

Having previously studied graphic design in Hong Kong then moving to pursue illustration here in London, Nykie’s background has given her a breadth of experience from two valuable creative cities. “The demand on the illustrators [in London] is less intense than the illustration market in Hong Kong, but that doesn’t mean the town is lacking in talent or stylish artists. Hong Kong and London are both dazzling and fascinating cities — if you’re not careful you might get lost on the way to exploring your own style.”

It is obvious by the amount of times we write about Patrick Kyle that we have a major crush on his illustration style. Over the past few years Patrick’s aesthetic has shifted slightly, reducing his full colour digital works to more pared-back illustrations. Yet, the illustrator’s fluid line work means you always recognise a drawing by him.

Liam Cobb has been keeping busy over the past year to complete his small-yet-anecdotal collection of comics. Having previously featured his past publication Shampoo, his recent offering, and brilliantly named, Conditioner is filled with as much wit, charm and beauty as its predecessor.

Artist and illustrator Nathaniel Russell’s latest series sees him adopting the woodcut technique to create a series of the kind of propaganda posters you might find in a kindergarten classroom, a doctor’s office or recruiting station. “It’s like propaganda for the cosmic, wondrous and the human,” says Nathaniel. “They also serve as reminders for me personally to be better and do more to become the kind of person I want to be!”

Jack Taylor, a British illustrator and graphic artist working in Berlin, has spent the past couple of years progressing and defining his practice. We last featured Jack in 2014, where he gave us an insight into his day-to-day with book making, editorial illustrations and, most importantly, storytelling. He’s since worked hard to develop his method and realised what inspires him the most is travelling.

“The backbone of my illustration practice is really analogue printing,” Marc Hennes explains. “Doing linocuts taught me how to use the limited flat space you have as an illustrator, because once you cut then thats it – no correction. It also taught me how to simplify things, as it is such a rough technique.”

Ram Han’s candy-coloured illustrations depict a dreamscape straight out of Alice’s Wonderland, where nothing is quite what it seems. Sexual fantasies are interrupted by super-sized voyeurs; a texting girl is shadowed by a partner whose face has been replaced by a swirling galaxy; a table serves up a Furby which seems to have been skinned and taken apart piece by piece. “The surreal-ness always comes from the real stimulation,” the Seoul-based illustrator explains. “It could be based on emotions, or abstract ideas, but it has to come from my very personal experience. However the most important goal is to create something that leaves an impression, rather than something to be analysed.”